Method and apparatus for making material having variable length loops



July 18, 1967 BROOK 3,331,219

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING MATERIAL HAVING VARIABLE LENGTH LOOPS Filed Dec. 16, 1965 FIG. 6.

E76 7 T n 1 i l INVENTOR 60b 58b 54 5 8a. DAVID BROOK ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,331,219 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING MATE- RIAL HAVING VARIABLE LENGTH LOOPS David Brook, New Hyde Park, N.Y. (35 Independence Drive, Manhasset Hills, N.Y. 11040) Filed Dec. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 514,347 2 Claims. (Cl. 66-108) This invention relates generally to the manufacture of terry-cloth material and more particularly pertains to a method and apparatus for producing variable-length loops in terry-cloth fabrics.

The manufacture of loop or plush cloth to provide terry-cloth fabrics and the like on a circular knitting machine is formed by the sinkers rather than the needles. The sinkers are actuated by jacks set in appropriate slots in the pattern wheel of the machine. When the sinker is pushed forward an upper thread is kinked over the top of the sinker nose and forms the loop while a lower thread, which is kinked over the normal knitting surface of the sinker, forms the jersey body proper. In machines of this type, the height of the loop is determined by the height of the sinker. Accordingly, since only sinkers of a single height can be used in the machine at any one time, this type of arrangement has severe disadvantages. For example, if it is desired to change the height of the loops to produce a cloth having a preselected pattern, the sinkers must be removed and replaced by those sinkers having the desired height. This is an extremely time consuming and difficult operation and therefore extremely uneconomical.

Accordingly, the desideratum of the present invention is to provide an improved method and an apparatus for producing variable height loops in loop cloth on a circular knitting machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for producing variable height loops in terry-cloth fabrics and the like wherein the height of the loops may be changed without the necessity for changing the sinkers.

Further objects and features of the present invention reside in the novel details of construction which provide a method and apparatus for producing a loop cloth on a circular knitting machine having variable length loops wherein the length the sinker is pushed forward determines the height of the loop.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for a circular knitting machine of the type described, wherein variable means are provided to vary the length of movement of the sinkers thereby to vary the height of the loops produced by said machine.

In furtherance of these objects, the present invention includes a sinker having a notched nose that is adapted to engage the thread to be formed into a loop. The invention further contemplate the utilization of means for varying the length of forward movement of the sinkers in the circular knitting machine in preselected amounts. Thus, as the sinker is displaced forwardly, the notched nose of the sinker engages the loop-producing thread and moves it accordingly thereby producing the loop. Hence, the height of the loop will be determined by the length of the forward movement of the sinker. Since the distance of travel of the sinker may easily be varied by adjusting the sinker moving means, the present invention results in a simple and economical method and apparatus for varying the height of loops on looped-cloth which is produced on circular knitting machines.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when 3,331,219 Patented July 18, 1967 taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of an apparatus constructed according to the present invention, illustrating the control of the movement of the sinkers by a micrometer adjustment;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1, illustrating a sinker constructed in accordance with the present invention, to an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating a modified embodiment of the means for varying the length of movement of the sinkers;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the present apparatus, illustrating control of the sinkers by a pattern Wheel;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the pattern wheel shown in FIG. 4, to enlarged scale; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of a fabric produced by the method of the present invention.

The apparatus and method of the present invention is adapted to be used in conjunction with a circular knitting machine to produce loops on terry-cloth fabrics and the like wherein the height of the loops may be varied easily and simply. However, the circular knitting machine per se will not :be disclosed in detail since those skilled in the art are familiar with the elements of these machines; only those portions of the machine bearing on the present invention will be shown.

Referring now to FIG. 2 there is shown a sinker 10 constructed according to the present invention. The sinker 10 is provided with an upper nose portion 12, the forward end of which is provided with a nose 14A. Received in the sinker 10 below the nose 14A is an open elongated slot or throat 16 that extends longitudinally from the forward end of the sinker 1t) and terminates in spaced relation to the rear end 18 thereof. The sinker 10 further includes a rearwardly extending member 20 that terminates in a butt 22.

In the normal operation of sinkers as used to produce loops heretofore, the sinkers would move forward and produce a loop in a regular jersey fabric when the upper loop producing thread was kinked over the top of the sinker nose. A lower thread was kinked over the throat to make the regular jersey cloth. However, in the present invention, the upper yarn is engaged in the notch or nose 14A and the height of the loop is therefore determined by the distance the sinker 10 moves the upper thread forward from its normal position.

Movement of the sinkers 10 is effected by the cam arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and designated generally by the numeral 23. More particularly, the cam arrangement 23 comprises a sinker cam ring 24 that supports a plurality of sinker cams 26 joined together to form a circular cam surface 32 in the conventional manner. Each cam 26 comprises an upper plate 28 and a lower plate 30 which are provided with the aligned cam surfaces 32 along their inner walls. Rotatably received between the plates 28 and 30, adjacent to one end thereof, is a rotatable cam block 34 that is fixedly received on a shaft 36 and is rotatable therewith. The cam block 34 is provided with an eccentric cam surface so that the distance the cam block 34 extends beyond the cam surfaces 32 may be Varied by re-orienting the cam block 34.

The shaft 36 is rotatably received between appropriate bores in the plates 28 and 30 and fixedly receives a dial at the top thereof which may be grasped and rotated to facilitate rotation of the shaft 36. The dial 38 is provided with calibrations on the top surface thereof which are adapted to be aligned with an indexing arrow 40 permanently afiixed to the plate 28 to indicate the amount of extension of the cam block 34 beyond the cam surface 32. Thus, the dial 38 provides a micrometer adjustment {D of the cam block 34, said adjustment being accomplished in infinite steps.

In operation, the cam surface 32 of the respective cams 26 are positioned to abut the rear surface 18 of the respective sinkers in the conventional manner. The cams 26 rotate in the conventional manner and, as the forwardly projecting portions of the cam surface 32 ride on the sinkers 10, the sinkers are accordingly moved forward to engage the aforementioned thread in the notch 14A to produce a loop thereby. Since the cam surface of the cam block 34 rides on the rear end 18 of the sinker 10 (FIG. 2), it will be obvious that the degree or distance of forward movement of the sinker 10 will be determined by the orientation of the cam block 34. Thus, different ones of the cam blocks may be set so that the distance they extend beyond the cam surfaces 32 will be a maximum. These cam blocks will cause the associated sinkers 10 to produce loops of maximum height. Other cam blocks 34 may be withdrawn so that they do not project beyond the cam surfaces 32. These cam blocks will cause the associated sinkers 10 to produce loops of minimum height. Still others of the cam blocks may be set at different intermediate positions to cause the associated sinkers 10 to produce loops having heights lying between the maximum and minimum heights. Means (not shown) bias the sinkers 10 rearwardly so they remain in contact with the respective cams. Accordingly, an apparatus and a method have been described by producing terry-cloth fabrics and the like on a circular knitting machine wherein the fabric may be provided with different sized loops without the need to change elements of the machine or to otherwise interrupt the knitting cycle.

FIG, 3 illustrates a modified embodiment of a camming arrangement 123 for varying the length of forward movement of the sinkers 10. Thus, the arrangement 123 also includes cams 26. Received on the rear surface of each cam 26 is a member 42 having an internally threaded through bore 44. Threadedly received within the bore 44 is a screw 46 having a circular knob 48 affixed to the outer end thereof. Slidably received between the plates 28 and 30 and rotatably receiving the screw 46 in slipping engagement therewith is a cam block 134. Thus, by rotating the screw 46, as by grasping and turning the knob 48, the cam block 134 may be advanced or retracted thereby to vary the length of movement of the sinkers 10 in a manner similar to that described above. Hence, this arrangement will likewise produce a fabric having loops of preselected sizes as determined by the distance the cam block 134 extends beyond the cam surfaces 32. Similarly to the dial 36, the knob 48 may be provided with markings which may be aligned with an index mark (not shown) so that the amount of movement of the sinker 10 (and therefore the height of the loop produced thereby) may be read directly off the knob 48.

As is conventional in circular knitting machines, the movement of the sinkers may alternatively be controlled by a pattern wheel which includes means which engage the butt 22 of the sinkers 10 and move the sinkers forward. More particularly, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a pattern wheel 50 is positioned behind a group of sinkers 10 and is adapted to be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 52 by appropriate means (not shown). The pattern wheel 50 comprises a lower circular member 54 having a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots 56 therein and a coaxial upstanding shaft 57. Preselected ones of the slots receive jacks therein. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, one slot 56 receives a jack 58a and the other slot 56 receives a jack 58b therein. The jacks extend radially from the member 54 and terminate in respective front members 60a and 60b which extend beyond the edge of the member 54. The front members 60a and 60b are adapted to engage the butt 22 of the sinkers 10 and, as noted above, move the sinkers forward. Provided on the jacks adjacent to the rear ends thereof are respective raised portions 62a and 62b which are spaced inwardly from the front members 60a and 60b. A cover plate 64, of smaller diameter than the circular member 54 and having a central through bore 66, is received on the member 54 with the shaft 57 extending through the bore 66. The cover plate 64 is provided with a depending peripheral flange 68 that is positioned to abut the front surfaces of the respective raised portions 62a and 62b to firmly clamp the jacks 58a and 58b in the slots 56. The cover plate 64 may be locked in position by a nut 70 that threadedly engages the shaft 57 and bears upon the upper surface of the plate 64.

In operation, the pattern wheel 50 is rotated and the jacks sequentially engage the butts 22 of the sinkers to move the sinkers 10 forward. In circular knitting machines of the prior art the jacks were of uniform length so that all the sinkers were moved forward the same distance. However, according to the present invention, the jacks are made in a plurality of different lengths so that different jacks will extend beyond the lower member 54 of the pattern wheel 54) by different distances thereby to move the sinkers through distances proportional to the length of the jack. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the jack 58a is longer than the jack 58b so that when the jack 60a contacts the butt 22 of a sinker 10 it will move the sinker forward a greater distance than will the jack 5812. Accordingly, the sinker 10 will produce a higher loop when moved by the jack 58a than it will when moved by the jack 5812. Thus, by arranging the varying length jacks in a preselected order, the sinkers may be moved to produce a terry-cloth fabric or the like having a predetermined design. When the pattern wheel 50 is used to control the movement of the sinkers, the micrometer cam arrangements noted above may be withdrawn.

FIG. 6 illustrates a fabric 72 made according to the present invention. The fabric 72 includes a conventional jersey cloth base 74. Knitted simultaneously with the jersey base 74 are the loops 76 which have different heights. Hence, the fabric 72 presents a decorative appearance which is not obtainable on circular knitting machines of the prior art without stopping the knitting cycle and continuously changing the elements of the machine.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein it will be obvious that numerous omissions, changes and additions may be made in such embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for producing a cloth having variableheight loops on a circular knitting machine comprising a plurality of sinkers slidably mounted on the machine for reciprocating movement with respect to a loop thread; each of said plurality of sinkers having a nose, an openended elongated slot below said nose, a rear end, and a butt extending rearwardly from said rear end; a thread engaging notch on said nose for engaging the loop thread and moving said loop thread simultaneously with the movement of the respective sinker to produce a loop during a knitting cycle of said machine, and moving means for moving different ones of said plurality of sinkers different distances for producing loops having varying heights, said moving means comprising a first rotatable cam having a fixed cam surface adapted to ride on the rear end of said plurality of sinkers to move said plurality of sinkers, and a plurality of second cams movably mounted on said first cam and being movable between a plurality of different positions wherein the second cam extends beyond the first cam surface corresponding different distances to control the length of movement of said plurality of sinkers by riding on the rear ends of said plurality of sinkers, said first cam comprising a first and a second plate, and said second cam comprising a member rotatably mounted between said first and second plates, and indexing means for indicating the extent of the proreciprocating movement with respect to a loop thread;

each of said plurality of sinkers having a nose, an openended elongated slot below said nose, a rear end, and a butt extending rearwardly from said rear end; a thread engaging notch on said nose for engaging the loop thread and moving said loop thread simultaneously with the movement of the respective sinker to produce a loop during a knitting cycle of said machine, a moving means for moving diflerent ones of said plurality of sinkers difiierent distances for producing loops having varying heights; said moving means comprising a first rotatable cam having a fixed cam surface adapted to ride on the rear end of said plurality of sinkers to move said plurality of sinkers, and a plurality of second cams movably mounted on said first cam and being movable between a plurality of different positions wherein the second cam extends beyond the fixed cam surface corresponding difierent distances to control the length of movement of said plurality of sinkers by riding on said rear ends of said plurality of sinkers, said first cam comprising a first and a second plate, said second cam comprising a member slidably received between said first and second plates, and screw means threadedly connected to said first cam and engaging said second cam to move said second cam relative to said first cam upon rotation of said screw means, Whereby the distance said second cam projects beyond said fixed cam surface may be varied thereby to control the length of movement of said plurality of sinkers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 697,078 4/1902 Ellis 66-108 1,790,623 1/1931 Lawson et a1. 66-108 1,790,832 2/1931 OLena 66-93 1,894,965 1/1933 Tanski 66-93 2,080,377 11/1937 Nebel 66-93 2,098,446 11/ 1937 Agulnek 66-93 2,203,711 6/1940 Agulnek 66-107 X 2,421,816 6/1947 Thurston et a1. 66-93 2,617,282 11/1952 Reichert 66-108 X 2,721,460 10/1955 Lombardi 66-108 X 3,104,537 9/1963 Fregeolle 66-108 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. R. F. ELDBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A CLOTH HAVING VARIABLEHEIGHT LOOPS ON A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SINKERS SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON THE MACHINE FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO A LOOP THREAD; EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF SINKERS HAVING A NOSE, AN OPENENDED ELONGATED SLOT BELOW SAID NOSE, A REAR END, AND A BUTT EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM SAID REAR END; A THREAD ENGAGING NOTCH ON SAID NOSE FOR ENGAGING THE LOOP THREAD AND MOVING SAID LOOP THREAD SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE RESPECTIVE SINKER TO PRODUCE A LOOP DURING A KNITTING CYCLE OF SAID MACHINE, AND MOVING MEANS FOR MOVING DIFFERENT ONES OF SAID PLURALITY OF SINKERS DIFFERENT DISTANCES FOR PRODUCING LOOPS HAVING VARYING HEIGHTS, SAID MOVING MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST ROTATABLE CAM HAVING A FIXED CAM SURFACE ADAPTED TO RIDE ON THE REAR END OF SAID PLURALITY OF SINKERS TO MOVE SAID PLURALITY OF SINKERS, AND A PLURALITY OF SECOND CAMS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FIRST CAM AND BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT POSITIONS WHEREIN THE SECOND CAM EXTENDS BEYOND THE FIRST CAM SURFACE CORRESPONDING DIFFERENT DISTANCES TO CONTROL THE LENGTH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID PLURALITY OF SINKERS BY RIDING ON THE REAR ENDS OF SAID PLURALITY OF SINKERS, SAID FIRST CAM COMPRISING A FIRST AND A SECOND PLATE, AND SAID SECOND CAM COMPRISING A MEMBER ROTATABLY MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLATES, AND INDEXING MEANS FOR INDICATING THE EXTENT OF THE PROJECTION OF SAID SECOND CAM BEYOND THE CAM SURFACE OF SAID FIRST CAM. 